A Marchwarden's Assurance
by Ice And Fire Vanessa
Summary: Haldir senses the inner storm in Aragorn in Lothlorien and is willing to sacrifice his heart for him.R


Title: A Marchwarden's Assurance  
  
Pairing: Aragorn/Haldir, Aragorn/Arwen  
  
Summary: In Lothlórien, Haldir senses the inner storm silently brewing up within the ranger and in a bid to heal the ranger, offers a night of assurance, ignoring the sacrifice he would have to make.  
  
Rating: PG-13 to slight R( you will know when it is )  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Haldir's P.O.V  
  
In the trees of Lothlórien  
  
Rumil has reported a group of eight travelling speedily towards Lothlórien today. Or at least their leader apparently was. But the group of eight is unique to all others, they are made up of different races – a dwarf I am told!  
  
Now, I watch as the eight near our hiding place and with a whistle too high-pitched for all but our own elves to hear, I send the signal to trap the group.  
  
As I leap down the tree lightly, I hear on in disgust as the dwarf calls the fair Lady Galadriel a "witch". And as I draw my bow and arrow at the nearest man, I look into his eyes.  
  
My own arrogant stare is matched with an adamant gaze as the man holds up his hands. I silently praise him for his intelligence for he is surely well-learned enough to know that the hands of the Lothlórien elves are fast enough to deal death within a split second. There was no point in trying to beat us at speed.  
  
And that is how I got to know Aragorn.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Haldir's P.O.V  
  
'Legolas Thranduilion,' I courteously incline my head as I silently observe the man who intrigues me so much. There is a spirit, a bearing in Aragorn that makes him tilt up his head with pride and answer regally, with so little words yet enough meaning in them to make me wonder at his parentage.  
  
But even as I look at him directly and say, 'Aragorn of the Dunedain, you are known to us,', I see a silent storm raging within him.  
  
Later, to convince me to allow the ring-bearer to pass, he reluctantly spoke of the horrors they had witnessed at Moria, of the Balrog and the death of Mithrandir, and how they were struggling to hold the fellowship together, now that the Wise One had passed on.  
  
And I understood – what was raging in his blood like silent poison.  
  
His own grief, unable to be showed to others for fear of taking away the hope in their eyes, for fear of proving himself as an incapable leader. His own lack of confidence, now that he had proven unable to save Mithrandir.  
  
And I saw he needed assurance. More than anything. Assurance.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Haldir waited for his brothers to sleep, as he watched Rumil finally fall asleep, he got up from their talan and slipped out into the cool night.  
  
How many more of such beautiful nights would there be, before the ultimate destroy? Haldir did not wish to think of such things – they seemed so trifle now as compared to the troubled man in Haldir's heart. Aragorn needed assurance and tonight, Haldir would give it all, more if needed.  
  
He could not say exactly when the man had managed to touch his heart. Maybe it was the subtle flicks of hair, an action of arrogance to the man, an action to protect him from further doubts of himself. But to Haldir, he was wiser and knew the subtle actions were nothing more than just to protect the man.  
  
Haldir now knew who Aragorn was. Future King of Gondor, husband of the Evenstar and only hope of men. Haldir, though he knew that men were weak, was prepared to give Aragorn all the assurance he needed and even more if the man desired so, if only the man would be assured of his worth again.  
  
It was not exactly difficult getting into the guests' talan. As Haldir stood before Aragorn's sleeping form, he could not help but notice the frowning eyebrows, the winces in the man's sleep and the dark strands of hair pressing against the man's forehead by sweat. He was not sleeping well.  
  
'Elessar,' as he had thought, Aragorn was a light-sleeper and the green eyes snapped open immediately, warily watching the elf.  
  
'I need to show you something, come,' without further explanation, Haldir placed one hand upon the man's shoulder and guided him out of the talan, to the less-known places of Lothlórien, where guards rarely patrolled.  
  
'Haldir of Lórien, where are you taking me to?' the man resisted halfway and Haldir stopped. Looking at the man, he decided upon his answer shortly, 'To heal,'  
  
*********************************************************  
  
They stopped by a meandering stream. In the faint moonlight, Haldir could see the confused look on the young face.  
  
Swiftly, Haldir spun around with so much hidden strength and knocked the man to the ground, effectively pinning the man down with his hands. As he watched the silent outrage in the eyes, he harshly pressed his lips against the man's, his own eyes closing slightly in the intoxicating pleasure of kissing Aragorn.  
  
Aragorn tried to pull back but the soft ground beneath him and the soft lips of the elf made him struggle before he finally turned his head aside.  
  
'I do not need pity,' he stonily said as he stared hard at the grass, refusing to meet the elven eyes staring at him.  
  
Haldir did not respond but only dipped his head down and trailed light, teasing kisses down the man's neck. He had no intention to retort.  
  
'Haldir, stop, I say again: I do not wish for your pity,' Aragorn firmly refused to respond, his eyes now glaring angrily at the elf.  
  
'I do not offer you pity,' Haldir responded shortly, biting so subtly at the man's neck that even Aragorn had to give a helpless moan – he was trying to resist the pleasure which softly bit at his soul.  
  
'Sometimes, even the strongest of men need assurance. I offer you no pity, only the pure assurance of a marchwarden's. Do you accept?' Haldir's eyes radiated a challenge, a challenge he knew the king would take up, a challenge which would leave himself wounded but the king healed.  
  
'I would but Arwen... ... ...,' Aragorn trailed off, remembering the one elf who captured his heart from the very beginning.  
  
'Arwen will not know of this, this holds no emotional ties, it is only a callous night which will bind assurance into your memory – I assure you, I have no emotional interest in you – only the obligation to heal you tonight,' Haldir's eyes betrayed what he was saying so harshly but the king was now fervently staring at the stars to see the quiet pain of denial in the elf's eyes.  
  
'Aye, so be it,' Aragorn responded, thinking naively that the elf truly had no interest in him, only the thought of healing him.  
  
Soft elven lips pressed against harsh ones as Haldir initiated the beginning of a healing night. He firmly kept the king locked in a possessive kiss as he thrust his fingers into the long dark locks, keeping a steady grip on the man.  
  
Haldir silently smiled thankfully when he felt broad palms tentatively skim lightly over his cheek in curiosity – the dunadan's palm and fingers were calloused, a sign of an experienced archer – and then a warm hand slid around Haldir's neck, pulling the elf deeper into the kiss.  
  
'Have you lain with another man before?' softly, Haldir broke the kiss, his eyes smiling slightly when he heard the suppressed moan of desire he had stirred up within the man.  
  
'Yes, only once, I have never laid with an elf,' Aragorn had never experienced this sensation before. He felt slightly awed at the being who straddled him. There was a certain divine touch in the way Haldir's eyes whispered the hidden messages he had, there was a slight melodic accent on the way the Common Tongue was spoken.  
  
'Then you will find, that while another man might be the one taking you, I let you take me tonight,' the marchwarden leaned forwards and whispered, his fingers intertwining even harsher into the king's hair, causing a slight movement of pain from Aragorn.  
  
'But you will have to be able to conquer me first,' Haldir ended the sentence, his lips curling into a self-assured smirk.  
  
He had observed the man. He knew that only through challenge would Aragorn allow himself to be assured once again. Only by challenging Aragorn could Haldir sacrifice himself for the king.  
  
Conquer. The word stirred up something wild within the man. Haldir now stared wordlessly into the green eyes now dark with a wild desire and anger. His careful use of words had created a storm, a storm to dominate within the man. It would be the domination that would make Aragorn have assurance in his own faith and self.  
  
Suddenly, a burst of energy threw Haldir off his feet. As he swore in elvish, he smiled inside, glad that Aragorn had finally risen to the bait. He dodged lightly to the side when Aragorn leaped over, a sound of twigs cracking as Aragorn agilely landed on his feet before using his full weight to knock the elf to the ground.  
  
Haldir wildly reached up to defend himself from this assault as he felt Aragorn shifting his weight to pin him down. Grasping Aragorn's shoulder, Haldir pushed with all his strength, trying to throw the man off- balance, but as he expected, it only intensified Aragorn's inner anger.  
  
Growling predatorily, Aragorn snarled his anger as he harshly slapped the elf, causing a painful snap to be heard as Haldir's face slammed onto the leafy ground.  
  
He was not angry enough to mislead his own sub-conscious into a battle stance, Haldir thought as he intensified his attempts to struggle, pushing at Aragorn's chest and attempting to rise.  
  
Another few slaps echoed around the place, making Haldir glad he had chosen this secluded spot.  
  
Sharp white teeth sank into Haldir's exposed collarbone area as he struggled even harder out of pain. It truly was painful, the rough way in which Aragorn bit his neck, bruising the white skin. Haldir could not suppress the whimper he let out as the combined pain from his neck and the pleasure as he felt the hardness when Aragorn forcefully grinded their hips together.  
  
'Is this good enough to conquer?' Aragorn asked now, before lowering his head to a bruising kiss with the elf, letting the elf's blood smear onto the perfect dark pink lips. Aragorn now forced Haldir's legs apart, so that he lowered himself directly on top of the elf, so that their chests were touching, and their lips now only centimetres apart.  
  
Haldir knew his plan was working.  
  
'Yes,' he hissed softly in denied pleasure, his fingers gripping Aragorn's shoulders painfully in his distress. Aragorn was deliberately teasing him – not that he minded for his plan was to get the man to enjoy this night, every second of it – and getting more aroused by the sight of him under control.  
  
Seconds passed without neither speaking, for Aragorn was grinding his hips slowly, but forcefully against the elf's, and Haldir was moaning in his desire into Aragorn's neck. The denied pleasure of feeling Aragorn inside him was driving Haldir hysterical and mad.  
  
'Aragorn,' he hissed in pleasure, 'I want you,'  
  
But the amused look on Aragorn's face was enough to tell him that this teasing was going to last some time. And at the very same time, Aragorn's fingers erotically ghosted over Haldir's cheek and the man sensually thrust his hips hard against Haldir's. The elf gasped in pleasure when he felt the hardness of them both rub against each other.  
  
'Aragorn,' he pleaded, his head thrust back in the dizzying spiral of pleasure currently coursing through his body.  
  
At last, the man seemed to have taken pity on the elf as Haldir pleaded weakly, unable to hold the desire within him anymore.  
  
But now Aragorn lowered his head, not to kiss but to growl possessively, 'I want to hear you call out my name in your pleasure, my name only,'  
  
'Anything,' Haldir could barely speak in his restrained pleasure as he felt Aragorn slowly undo the buttons on the elvish garment. As Aragorn let his hands wander lightly over the white skin, Haldir held the feral gaze for seconds before, unable to see the intensity of the desire in those green eyes, he turned away.  
  
That was a mistake for Aragorn fiercely slapped him, causing the pale cheeks to redden in humiliation and pain.  
  
'Who do you belong to tonight?' Aragorn's words cut into Haldir's heart.  
  
Tonight. Even the man knew that this special relationship would only last a night. Not forever. Impossible. It was but a dream. And dreams did not last forever, and neither would this night, despite the fact that Haldir wanted more than just a night. He wanted to be able to live through this night everyday for eternity.  
  
'Haldir?' Aragorn's harsh tone was softened as he saw the distracted look on the elf's face. He had seen something close to harsh pain flicker across the sharp features and his excitement decreased in his natural instinct to heal.  
  
'Yours,' Haldir refused to answer the hidden question, he merely stared back boldly and spat out the word.  
  
And Aragorn, in all his ignorance, truly believed that the elf was alright.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
He was drowsy, very drowsy. In the aftermath of the dizzy tango of bodies and the heat of the forbidden pleasure, Haldir was distinctly aware of the moonlight illuminating them both, two masculine bodies intertwining in an embrace of lust and comfort, making them a contrast from the dark woods surrounding.  
  
'Haldir?' the second time that night his name had been sounded with concern and questioning. Haldir fought drowsiness and turned, so that he faced the man.  
  
'Haldir?' third time. Haldir was unable to answer, perhaps his drowsiness was making Aragorn seem even more handsomely beautiful. The way the dark tresses, now damp with sweat, caressed the man's broad shoulders – the way those green eyes stared at him with such an intensity he felt like turning away.  
  
Beautiful.  
  
'Yes?' Haldir asked, shaking his head so that he was clearer, not knowing how Aragorn was thinking how truly exotically beautiful Haldir was when he did that.  
  
'Hannon le, Haldir,' Aragorn said, the words perfectly articulated but with a touch of tender gratitude.  
  
'You are welcome – the marchwarden must do all that is needed to serve the guest, and I have just done my duty,' Haldir chose to ignore the touch of gentleness and merely inclined his head, like a guard to his king.  
  
They lapsed into silence.  
  
'You had better sleep,' Haldir said, not looking at Aragorn, but rather at the way the moonlight played upon the ripples of the river.  
  
And when Aragorn got up, thinking the elf meant back to the tent, Haldir's pale hand reached over and covered the mortal's.  
  
'I meant here – it is too far for you to get back without possible danger,'  
  
Both of them smiled slightly, a tinge of sadness marring their smiles as they realised that Haldir had just given them another more hours of close skin contact.  
  
'I agree,' Aragorn failed to see the look of extreme pain on the elf's face when the elf thought of the morning where they would separate.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Weeks later  
  
'We have come to honor an alliance once forged between men and elves,' Haldir kept his face emotionless even as he noticed the hope which played upon Aragorn's face even as he spoke.  
  
Then Aragorn had embraced him and Haldir, though slightly helpless in the strong arms of the mortal, had smiled, remembering the night they shared and he raised a hand to grip Aragorn's shoulder – just like that night in his dizzying pleasure he had done.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Now  
  
He tried to ignore the feeling of pain and the angst which cut through him like a knife as he fell to his knees, before him, all he saw was bodies of his people scattered, not honoured in death but stained with the blood of both themselves and the enemies.  
  
'Valar,' Haldir whispered softly, weak in his helplessness.  
  
Someone was shouting his name. His name was shouted with an intensity and he knew who it was. Only Aragorn had ever looked or talked to him with such an intensity in the voice.  
  
The night of pleasure raced through his mind but even then he could remember every single small detail – like the way he had been stared at predatorily and the way he had whimpered against the tan neck.  
  
Aragorn was coming. He would die in the arms of his beloved. Even though they both knew that many things were unavoidable.  
  
He couldn't hold on anymore. His life was slipping too fast for him to try to sustain.  
  
But he had come. Aragorn was now just feet away but Haldir's eyes were already closed.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
He found Haldir's body after the battle. The blood had stopped flowing.  
  
But he knew that in his heart, Haldir would forever be the only one there. The elf who had sacrificed his own heart in the night of healing pleasure. The elf had willingly let himself get hurt all for the sake of him.  
  
He had been mistaken.  
  
The night of pleasure they had shared had not stirred up lust in him, only love.  
  
And he cradled his fallen scarlet ibis in the raging storm.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Scarlet ibis = a bird once worshipped by the Egyptians, as it's name suggests, it's feathers are a beautiful red, just like the cloak Haldir was wearing when he died.  
  
Alright – this is my first attempt at so much creative description – I hope no one is offended by my story (note: you have NO right to). Alright. Lol. Give me your comments about how I can improve it.  
  
This is also my first try at Haldir slash. I personally love him to bits. Craig Parker did a fine job as him. And so did the charming, ever handsome Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. To those who haven't watched Hidalgo, do go and watch. It really is worth the money watching Viggo in a character so close to his real self, ok?  
  
Love,  
  
Ice And Fire Vanessa  
  
5:57PM  
  
2nd Apr 2004 


End file.
